St. Barths: The Jewel Of The Caribbean

It's hard for me to actually relax on holiday without turning a much-needed rest and some downtime into a location scout, or research for my show, Adventures with Adventure Girl™ . I was told to prepare not only for major relaxation in St. Barths, but be prepared for the decadence and partying like nowhere else in the Caribbean. So, I prepared. I gathered books and magazines for the relaxation part along with a swimsuit for the beach, and several of my favorite party clothes for the evenings and "beach parties" I was told would be happening.

St. Barthelemy, also known as St. Barths and St. Barts, is located in the Caribbean and sits across from St. Marteen/St. Martin. St. Barts is a seventy-five-minute flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is on New York time during the summer and an hour ahead in the winter. The island was discovered by Christopher Columbus and named after his brother, Bartolomeo.

a diamond in the rough

You might not have heard of it, or heard very little about it, because it has become one of the world's best-kept secrets. When I say little, I mean little . The island is only eight square miles in size. It is very French — practically everyone speaks how do you say? Ah yes, Français. There aren't any cruise ships that are allowed in the waters around St. Barts, and there is little tourism promotion.

You would basically only find out about St. Barths via a recommendation. This made investigating about this treasure a bit difficult, and my conception of what I would find when I got there turned out to be completely different and so much more than I expected!

I arrived on a small Air Guadeloupe prop plane, which sat approximately sixteen passengers. I am not one to be fearful of a plane's size, I actually think it becomes more fun being tossed around a bit and sitting with the pilots. I was forewarned of the harried landing. The runway is short, and of course, before you even take off, the other passengers are swapping missed runway stories. At the end of the runway is St. Jean beach, and planes have landed in the sand, barely missing the "oh so brave" beach-goers and sun worshippers, who obviously enjoy risking their lives.

One story had the plane coming in too fast when at the last minute, it had to pull back up to avoid disaster, only to have skimmed the water and pick up an unwanted passenger who was windsurfing. Needless to say, the windsurfer abandoned ship on impact, but the equipment took flight with the plane! You can imagine my thoughts on this, yet being a bit of a thrill seeker, I couldn't wait for the landing.

perfect timing

It was an uneventful landing — darn! I deplaned in this beautiful airport that looked like an oversized Hansel and Gretel cottage, painted in mint green with white trim. I grabbed my bags and headed to my rent-a-car. The cars on the island are small and range from Suzuki Sidekicks to Mercedes-made models, which look like little shoes, called Smarts. The roads are windy and narrow, making maneuvering an adventure in itself.

I was traveling during the week between Christmas and staying for New Year's. This is one of the most popular times of the season for St. Barths due to its amazing climate and party atmosphere. Every celebrity and Mega Mogul arrives during this time, and of course, Europeans, namely French visitors, converge and sell out the island.

Most of the hotels not only increase their prices, but they increase them tenfold. I learned that the "in" thing to do in St. Barths is rent a villa. There are more than two hundred villas available from agencies such as Sibarth. But book fast and beware that an average two-bedroom villa can rent anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000 per week during this high season time, with a two-week booking minimum.

What you need to know before going there — you may even run into Puff Daddy and Brad Pitt...